Cupping & Tui Na

Cupping can be used to find the zones causing pain and stiffness and relieve them of their stagnation. These marks are textbook for localised pain and typical of someone suffering from Fybromyalgia. They’re not too dark or densely speckled and you’ll notice not every placement produced the marking… Followed up by some Tui Na (Chinese massage) . The relief a patient feels post treatment is extraordinary! A patients words after treatment  today were “I feel so much lighter and free”
This patient used to see our Acupuncturist Laura Jones every week for 6 weeks to manage her symptoms then gradually spaced treatment out so now she is seen once a month. Acupuncture and cupping isn’t painful.

These marks will slowly fade as the body removes the waste and allow for better blood flow therefore less painYou can make an appointment to try cupping or acupuncture or both!

Free consultations available if you want to find out more before giving it a go
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Happy & Pain Free 2018

Whatever your body health and fitness goals are for the New Year don’t go hell for leather from day one. A gradual build up of your chosen exercise or fitness regime is the key to success. Our practitioners are happy to help you achieve your goals with pain management & mobility advice – so call or email if you have any queries.

Wishing you all health & happiness for 2018.

 

Feeling Under Par? Osteopathy Can Help Get You Back in the Swing

We treat many golfers at Cedar Hall Clinics for various conditions, but lower back pain (lumbar spine region) is one of the most common ailments and can be a problem for golfers of all ages. Various studies have estimated that roughly a third of all golfers will struggle with lower back pain at some point in their lives.

 

What causes this pain?

Each individual case is different and the cause of the lower back pain can vary but in our experience a lack of mobility in the ankles, hips, middle back (thoracic spine) and shoulders forces the lower back to work excessively hard. This puts a lot of pressure on the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) – the spot where the spine connects with the pelvis – as many golfers will rely on their lower back to generate the turn and power in their swings. This is particularly true for golfers with weak glute and hip muscles and those that have a poor range of motion in their mid-back region.

Another issue is that golf is a one-sided sport and golfers tend to put more stress on one side of the pelvis than the other. Most golfers also aren’t very good at stretching and warming up prior to teeing off and this can be a significant contributor to back pain after their round.

So what can be done?

• Warm up properly
  Going straight to the first tee from your car or the clubhouse without doing a warm up is one of the surest ways of ending up with lower back pain. Give yourself an extra 15 minutes and start your warm up with some simple stretches on the following areas;
• Shoulder & Torso: Hold a golf club with both hands across the shoulders and gently rotate the torso on both sides
• Hips: In a seating position, pull one knee to the chest and repeat on the other side
• Hamstrings: Starting in a standing position, bend over and try to touch the toes. Having flexibility in your hamstrings is essential if you want to avoid back pain as it will allow more movement in the pelvis and help reduce the stress on the lower back.

Practice smooth swings with good rhythm

With a proper swing you should be using the shoulders, chest, pelvis (hip) and lower back muscles to share the load of the swing. Practicing smooth rhythmic swings helps to develop muscle memory and prepares the muscle groups for the torque (force) and torsion (twisting) that a golf swing produces. Begin with the smaller irons and progress up to the larger woods, as this process will allow the muscles to warm up incrementally.

Use a trolley to carry the golf bag

Golf bags can be heavy and very often you will see golfers carrying them with just one strap on the shoulder. This will create too much pressure on one side of the pelvis. We would always recommend using a golf trolley or buggy, but if you want to carry your bag make sure to use the dual straps to evenly split the weight across the back. This will reduce the chances of developing low back pain from an uneven load.

 

How osteopathy can help

If none of the above tips are making any difference to your pain it may be time to see an osteopath, who are specialists in relieving the pain associated with golfing injuries. Very often the treatment will involve not just treating the area of pain but also focusing on the associated muscles, nerves, tendons and ligaments to ensure that they are all functioning optimally. This will help reduce the chances of the same injury recurring while also enhancing the body’s resilience to future injuries.

If you have any concerns over an injury you have picked up playing golf or one that is affecting your game please feel free to give us a call. Or make an appointment for a free assessment to find out what’s going on. We’re always happy to give advice or address any concerns you may have.

Until next time – happy golfing.

www.cedarhallclinics.co.uk

 

 

 

A Marathon Challenge

Top tips to help you back to running in record breaking time.

Our osteopath Lorraine offers some no nonsense, easy to follow top tips to get you back to performing at your best!

Are you training for or just completed a marathon? At this time of year our practitioner’s report seeing lots of patients complaining of running type injuries.

A little known fact is that if you raise your legs to 90 degrees following a run, the lactic acid will be felt less the following day in your legs. You should ideally rest them up a wall for a good 10 minutes.

Rehydration is very important. Ideally rehydration salts mixed with water but a good quality sports drink should be sufficient.

You don’t need vast amounts. But you do need to recover sodium levels that have been lost through perspiration.

Painful muscle cramp can be caused by dehydration. The best way to deal with it is to rest, sip a sports drink and gently try to stretch the affected muscle.

Relax for the rest of the day. It is going to take 3 days for the inflammation to reduce so maybe take turmeric supplements or even ibuprofen (if appropriate for you) to help.

Heat is not your friend. If you have a sore lower back, knee, shin or Achilles tendon there is more likely inflammation present. If you apply heat to an inflamed area it attracts more blood locally, which in turn increases inflammation.

As heat is applied pain reduces as the inflammatory markers in the blood are reduced/ diluted by the additional blood. Unfortunately this in turn brings more inflammatory markers. You take off the heat and the additional blood reduces but, the extra inflammatory markers remain.

You need ice or something cold on the sore areas. Ideally for 3-5 mins per hour and gentle movement to stop the inflammation from building up. I am not talking about a brisk walk, just a standing up every half hour or so just to mobilise around the back and hips for a couple of minutes.

Injury

There is very little an osteopath can do for the first 72 hours following an injury.

With muscle strains and ligamentous sprains our advice is RICE. That is unless it’s a significant injury. Then you should visit A&E immediately.

If you feel an injury is more than a sprain or strain you should see your GP. If you suspect fracture, dislocation or ligamentous rupture that’s a trip to the hospital.

Rest the injured part

Ice the area regularly. It’s recommended to ice an injury for 20 mins every 2 hours.

Compress the injured area. A compression bandage is ideal.

Elevate the injured area

If after 72 hours there is still pain, that’s the time to visit us at Cedar Hall Clinics in Thurrock or Benfleet in Essex. We are highly trained to give you a diagnosis, treatment (if appropriate), advice on management and a prognosis.

With regards to running again, injured or not, I’d recommend taking a little time off. At least to begin with.

Avoid any running at all for a week, maybe two, depending on how you feel. Walking is OK and is a good way to reduce the metabolic waste products from the muscles.

You can contact us on 01375 678877 or 01268 774249 we offer free assessments

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From Birth to Beyond Retirement

With many years’ experience Cedar Hall Clinics in Thurrock & Benfleet provide the highest quality osteopathy & physiotherapy healthcare for all your family and are friendly, professional and thorough. We have treated so many thousands of now fully recovered patients over the years & we want to help you break that cycle of pain. Our practitioners are all specialists in their field and will ensure you get the correct treatment to facilitate a rapid recovery.

We are committed to providing a great service right from your initial assessment through to the completion of your final treatment.

www.cedarhallclinics.co.uk

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Cedar Hall Thurrock

Four years ago today Sara & Jacki moved their busy clinic to Stanford le Hope after many years in Grays. Here’s a few memories from our brilliant Opening Day in King’s Parade. Thank you to all our patients for your support. Happy Birthday!!!

http://www.cedarhallclinics.co.uk/

 

Importance of Ice

Don’t forget the importance of ice. It’s a cheap & effective form of pain relief & reduces inflammation until you can get to your osteopath or physio!!

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Beware New Year Resolutions

Keeping fit is always a good idea but if you start a new exercise regime you need to make sure your body is ready.

See your osteopath if you have any aches, pains or injuries even if they’re only niggles. You’re more likely to succeed in your quest for a leaner, fitter you. Good luck

 

 

Treating All Stages of Life

Did you know that at Cedar Hall Clinics we treat pain & discomfort in all ages? From new born to well beyond retirement. From pregnant mums to growing toddlers. From weekend warriors to elite athletes. From desk bound office workers  to manual labourers. From active keep fitters to couch potatoes. From those suffering minor stresses & strains of modern living to those recovering from surgery or injury.

See our website – you might be surprised just how many people & conditions we can help. http://www.cedarhallclinics.co.uk

 

Injury Woes – but Sophie ready to get back on Track

For the majority of the 2014 outdoor season, I spent most of my time as a spectator on a spin bike. Achilles tendinopathy in my right foot caused me to finish my season at the end of May. As I wasn’t able to train or compete all summer, I was determined to make the most out of the 2015 season. However, my injury had other plans.

Getting back on track

With plenty of completed bike sessions, rehab exercises, treatment and recovery, my injury started to improve. I was soon able to jog, which over time turned into steady running. After a while, I was able to complete sessions again and things were looking brighter. At university, I continued with my rehab exercises to ensure I wouldn’t have any problems and for some time, it seemed to work. For many months, I was able to train without any pain and it appeared that my injury had finally healed.

During the Easter break, I was lucky enough to go on an altitude training camp with my university to Font Romeu, France. It was a great experience running in the mountains and it benefitted my fitness greatly. I would love to go there again next year.

However, once I returned home, the problems started again. About a week before the BUCS outdoor championships, I completed a speed session. The session went well and I was happy with the way I was running, especially with a competition coming up. Unfortunately, that evening, my Achilles was sore and inflamed. I spoke to my coaches and made a joint decision to pull out of the race. I was devastated. I felt like all my progress had stepped back a whole year. I went straight back to cross-training, rehab and treatment. Along with the sore Achilles also came a tight back. Due to my constant limping, I was straining my posture. However, thanks to Sara’s hard work at Cedar Hall, she has managed to get my posture back into the correct position.

At the moment, things are looking positive! I am not back to training fully yet but I am slowly getting there which is exciting! My aim for this year is to get fit and strong, and hopefully be ready to race for the indoor season.

Blog by sponsored athlete Sophie Riches

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